How is it "Different times. Different circumstances"? Ireland doesn't have vast oil and gas reserves and yet we can still hold our own, despite what some of P.ie's resident defeatist might say. Scotland can be a successful country in its own right, there's no question about that. If Ireland was told it could be more successful as part of the UK do you think that we should give up our nation for some extra dough?

The blip was the 'boom' but now we all know even that was perhaps the greatest dysfunction of them all...

Church and State collusion in the abuse of children, for which there have been far too few prosecutions. Cronyism. An arrogant 'establishment' who seem to believe they are 'entitled' to everything. Corruption at the highest levels of this country by people who treat the population with utter contempt. An electorate who despite knowing all of the above and more, continue to elect cute hoor big fish in small ponds as they indulge in their navel gazing 'us against the big bad Dublin government' charade. And then the voters refuse to accept any responsibility for the dire quality of self serving parochial gobsh!te they send to participate in the Dail.

And let's not forget the fact that we've lost economic sovereignty and seem increasingly willing to be subsumed into a USE. And who's leading this move? The very same self serving 'establishment' parasites who contributed so significantly to the hole we're in but who have yet to feel any of the negative effects of it.

If you think all this and more is 'holding our own' and something we should hold our heads high about, off you go.

How I see it may be defeatist to you. I prefer to call it being a realist.

Of course we've got potential to clean things up and really sort this place out...

Unfortunately however, after 6 years of recession I see little real appetite or determination to do this with more of the same in store...

The 'establishment' have largely succeeded in slithering through this crisis unscathed... which means nothing will change. And we are all collectively responsible for that.

You made the suggestion that these high profile Scots living outside the country have no legitimate right to comment on Scottish matters,

I didn't, I made a fairly light-hearted, if pointed, observation. Read into it what you will

..and it was pointed out to you that you're a paddy who lives outside the state yet comments on Irish matters.

I've already explained the difference but you seem to have missed or ignored it.

You brought this up, not us, so it is you who is dragging this off discussion. Ironic? maybe. Hypocritical? Defo.

No again, Eoghanacht brought the topic up, I merely pointed out to you, as you started banging on about me personally, that I was not the subject of the thread. Hypocrisy doesn't enter into it. Now wind your neck in and take the trouble to read the posts properly in future eh?

Back up the road in my home country of Scotland there was little to shout about. Of the 9500 street parties that happened across the UK only 60 were in Scotland (0.60%), and 20 of those were organised by the Orange Order. Was this lack of enthusiasm for British triumphalism a one-off blip? We'll soon find out.

The blip was the 'boom' but now we all know even that was perhaps the greatest dysfunction of them all...

Church and State collusion in the abuse of children, for which there have been far too few prosecutions. Cronyism. An arrogant 'establishment' who seem to believe they are 'entitled' to everything. Corruption at the highest levels of this country by people who treat the population with utter contempt. An electorate who despite knowing all of the above and more, continue to elect cute hoor big fish in small ponds as they indulge in their navel gazing 'us against the big bad Dublin government' charade. And then the voters refuse to accept any responsibility for the dire quality of self serving parochial gobsh!te they send to participate in the Dail.

And let's not forget the fact that we've lost economic sovereignty and seem increasingly willing to be subsumed into a USE. And who's leading this move? The very same self serving 'establishment' parasites who contributed so significantly to the hole we're in but who have yet to feel any of the negative effects of it.

If you think all this and more is 'holding our own' and something we should hold our heads high about, off you go.

How I see it may be defeatist to you. I prefer to call it being a realist.

Of course we've got potential to clean things up and really sort this place out...

Unfortunately however, after 6 years of recession I see little real appetite or determination to do this with more of the same in store...

The 'establishment' have largely succeeded in slithering through this crisis unscathed... which means nothing will change. And we are all collectively responsible for that.

Unfortunately, those kind of anti Irish rants only get read and appreciated by racists like Cruimh.

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